I’m not a horseback rider, but my daughters are, so while traveling around the world for a year, on occasion we had to appease their desire to be on the back of a horse. By the time we got to Chile in April ’09 we were due, and both girls let us know loud and clear.

I found Ritoque Expediciones (Camino Concón, Quintero km 3s, n Punta de Piedra, Valaparaíso, Chile; phone 56 09 9730 52 12), which is in Concón, 30 kilometers north of where we were staying in Valparaíso. We e-mailed them...

On at least two occasions in Europe, when I used a MasterCard to buy souvenirs in a town busy with American tourists, the charge slip that I was given to sign for the purchase of an item priced in euros had language at the bottom stating that the purchaser agreed to have the charge made in US dollars instead, with the conversion to dollars made at a very unfavorable exchange rate.

Although this information was printed in English, it was in the space that, on charge slips at home, is...

Except for a stopover of a couple hours in 2008, a week-long visit to London, Sept. 14-21, 2010, was our first time there since 1997. My wife and I noticed a number of changes.

As we exited Immigration and Customs at Heathrow airport, a representative touted the Express Train service, at 15 minutes the fastest way into the city. But the price is £18 (near $29) and you’re deposited at Paddington Station, where you likely will need to change to the Tube or a taxi, adding to your cost...